Possible reason : You may have used your USB drive or Memory card on a device that doesn’t support storages larger than 32GB or exFAT/NTFS format, or the device was automatically or manually formatted into 32GB or FAT32. Therefore the capacity only shows 32GB on your windows OS. How to recognize? Right click “This PC”-> “Manage”->”Disk Management” to check the partition of capacity. E.g. A 128GB USB flash drive only shows 32GB on WINDOWS. 116.13GB* online: Which means the drive is at normal 128GB capacity. * Part of the capacity of FLASH storage products will be used for formatting or other functions, therefore the displayed capacity in the operating system will be less than the actual storage capacity due to unit conversion. It is recommended to calculate the actual storage capacity based on this equation: total bytes/1024/1024/1024. Primary partition 32GB: Which means only 32GB was set. Unallocated capacity 84.12GB: Which means there is still 84.12GB unallocated. How to solve it? a. Right click to delete 32GB volume on “Disk Management” and reformat it. (Backing up your files is suggested.) b. Right click to create new volume and follow the default format and finish the format. c. Finish format. Check the capacity.
1. First, please turn off the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Find the M.2 SSD slot on the motherboard Since each motherboard is designed differently, please refer to the user manual of the motherboard for exact location. 3. Insert the M.2 SSD Due to differences in motherboards, before installing the M.2 SSD product, please remove the heat spreader or screws on the motherboard *(Note 1), and make sure the M.2 SSD matches the slot interface. Note 1: Please remove all screws from the M.2 SSD slot and make sure there is no other interference. When installing the SSD, please carefully hold the left and right sides of the M.2 SSD product and align the product connector with the slot notch, then insert into the M.2 Slot at a 20-degree angle and screw into the mounting holes on the motherboard. 4. Complete assembly & start up the computer Before starting, please check that no screws, parts, or foreign objects falling on the motherboard. Precautions: 1. Avoid direct contact with PCB parts during installation to avoid damage caused by static electricity. 2. When screwing, be careful to avoid colliding with the IC parts on the motherboard and causing them to fall off.
Previously, we talked about what you should be aware of after getting a new memory: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/info/ins.php?index_id=82 Today, we’ll talk about SSD, which is a very big portion of products that are used when installing or upgrading computers. For those who are not familiar with it, you may be afraid to pick an SSD or install it yourself. In fact, it’s not that scary at all. After reading this article, you will feel much more confident about it! 1. Keep the proof of purchase Generally speaking, SSDs are covered by a 3 to 5 year warranty from the date of purchase. Since it’s not like the way of logging in and uploading an invoice from motherboard or video card manufacturers to prolong the warranty, it is very important to keep the proof of purchase (invoices, receipts, electronic invoices, etc.). If the proof of purchase is lost, the warranty period will be advanced to ex-factory date, which may loss more than a week of the original warranty period. Don’t forget to protect your rights and interests. 2. Unpack the package of the SSD Unpacking an SSD package requires a few tips. Usually both 2.5” SATA and M.2 PCIe are protected inside a blister, especially M.2 SSD, which is thinner and more fragile than the memory, and may break in two if you unpack too violently. It is recommended that you push the SSD out of the blister instead of pulling it hard. 3. Verify the installation location The interfaces of 2.5” SSD and M.2 PCIe are completely different, and the corresponding connection locations on the motherboard are different as well. The supported interface of 2.5” SSD is SATA and requires separate power and SATA cables. The detailed location is as shown (Motherboard SATA location) (Power cable) (two ports of the 2.5” SSD) There’s nothing more annoying than having more and more cables in your PC, so the M.2 is simply a blessing to me, the editor. M.2 reduces two cables at a time, just need to plug and lock the M.2 onto the motherboard. The detail of the ports is as shown below (Location of the M.2 on motherboard, lock using screws) 4. Using as system drive First, plug the UFD with Windows installation software into the computer and press DELETE to enter the BIOS. Make sure that the computer recognizes the newly installed SSD and UFD. (BIOS screenshot) Then go to BOOT, move the UFD to the first position, and adjust the newly installed hard drive to the second position, press F10 to save the changes and leave the BIOS. If the adjustments are made according to the above sequence, the computer should automatically reboot after leaving the BIOS and enter the Ready to install Windows screen. Format the SSD before installing Windows. After formatting, you can choose whether to split the capacity. Local drive (C:) and Local drive (D:) are what comes out the after partitioning, commonly known as C drive and D drive. If you have limited budget, you can setup a C drive with smaller capacity and a D drive with larger capacity, and try to install most of your applications in D drive. The simpler the C drive, the better. However, the downside of a single hard drive is that data may disappear if the hard drive is broken, so be sure to do an online cloud backup! If your budget is sufficient, it is recommended to buy a smaller capacity SSD as a boot drive (C:) and a larger capacity SSD as a data drive (D:). This way, there is no need for partitioning, you can have two hard drives in different drives. You don’t have to worry about the data on the data drive being affected if the boot drive is not working properly. 5. Using purely as data drive If you just want to expand a hard drive to store data, you can ski the previous step. However, you should pay attention that after installing and booting into Windows, you still can’t see the new drive because the hard drive has not been formatted and can’t be used directly Now, please move your mouse cursor to the Windows icon on the lower left and right click on the mouse Next, select Disk Management. The SSD originally installed with Windows should be displayed as “Disk 0”, and your newly installed SSD will be displayed as “Disk 1”, as shown below Please right click on the area of Disk 1 and select format. Usually the default NTFS format is used. Then press OK, the system will automatically start to format for you, and when the formatting is complete, you can see your new drive in the local machine! 6. Verify if the speed is up to the standard Nowadays, manufacturers in the market put the read/write speed of the SSD on the website and on the package. There is an unwritten rule that the speed manufacturers labeled is actually the higher value of the data they can actually measure. If you have average luck, the data you get from your home test will be slightly lower than indicated but not far off. If you are lucky, you might also get a faster SSD! After all, even the same controller with the same Flash IC may not have the same result. The following software is commonly used to test SSDs. The first thing you should do is to see if the Sequential speed (Sequential read/write speed) is the same as indicated. First let’s take a look at the CrystalDiskMark (CDM) which is the most commonly used software. The speed test of this software is quite accurate, so it is a software used commonly by both manufacturers and reviewers, and it’s also pretty fast in updating content. Just click All on the upper left to use it Next is the AS SSD Benchmark, which is commonly seen in reviews In addition to testing the read/write speed, this one can also switch to IOPS data from the View on the upper location, which is quite a unique function. Just press Start at the bottom and wait for a while, it is very easy to use. There are a lot of speed software available online, so if you are interested in, you can download them and try them for fun! In fact, the advanced application of SSD also includes different types of RAID methods, which will be explained later. I’ll end today’s introduction here, and I hope it can help those who are not familiar with how to operate the internal parts of the computer. After reading this article, you can bravely take your first step towards DIY a PC!
Now there are so many brands and specifications of SSD on the market, it will take a lot of time to do the research, so let’s quickly introduce which TEAMGROUP SSD can best meet your needs! If you are a “promising young person who use a computer to write reports and browse online articles” As a promising young person who often uses Office software to write reports or browse the Internet, when opening Office software, although SSD and HDD are both SATA III interface, SSD will still provide faster speed than traditional HDD! Here we recommend the price-friendly GX2 SSD, with various capacities to choose from! Learn more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/gx2 And this VULCAN SSD from T-FORCE gaming brand has both read and write speed of over 500 MB/s. The price is reasonable and the design is stylish, which makes it perfect for you! Learn more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/vulcan-ssd The next is DELTA MAX SSD which is the RGB SSD with the largest luminous area in the industry. The ARGB lighting is smooth, meticulous and not too bright for your eyes. Even when the lighting is off, the SSD can still reflect the texture of the mirror surface. Note: Remember to pick a case with a transparent side panel, which can perfectly present the translucent mirror effect of the SSD! Learn more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/deltamaxssd If you are a “mild to moderate, promising gamer” Back then, when I was playing Diablo III, the game map often got stuck for a long time at the loading screen! I did use a quad-core processor and a high-end graphics card, but how come the performance is still far from good? Only to find that the map files of Diablo III were located in the hard drive, so the loading time took longer whenever the hard drive was reading the files. Therefore, I simply replaced my hard drive with a M.2 SSD and the loading time was reduced instantly! The low-price and easy to use M.2 PCI-E Gen3x4 SSD MP33 make you the coolest gamer by eliminating your waiting time in the game! Learn more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/mp33 If you are a “heavy creator and gamer” Congratulations, you are a user who relies heavily on computer performance. We strongly recommend the following high performance M.2 PCI-E SSDs! First, we introduce you the MP34 which has no heat spreader and can be easily installed on any device. The difference between the MP34 and MP33 is the addition of the RAM that makes the reading speed more than 3000MB/s. No matter if you are editing large video files, or playing a game and want to live broadcasting at the same time, the experience is smooth and without any lag. Learn more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/mp34 The next is T-FORCE CARDEA II, which has TEAMGROUP’s exclusive patented cooling fin, so you don’t have to worry about speed loss caused by overheating when using SSD for a long period of time. Learn more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/cardea%20ii If you are a heavy creator and gamer who “desire the latest technology” After the release of AMD’s X570 platform this year, the bandwidth of PCIe is upgraded to M.2 PCIE Gen4x4. T-FORCE releases CARDEA ZERO-Z440 to advance with the times. The read speed is up to 5000 MB/s, which guarantees to make you the coolest heavy creator. Loading graphics or converting files will all be done before your coffee gets cold! Lear more: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/cardea-zero-z440 After introducing these various SSDs, gamers will have a better idea of which product they are getting in the future!
SSD V.S HDD: High speed, low power consumption, good durability, zero noise and resistance to low temperature.
Learn about the splash proof, water proof and dust proof functions of the PD400 External Hard Drive, and how to handle it if you accidentally wet the external solid state drive. PD400 External Hard Drive is splash proof with dust plug on, water proof and dust proof. Under a controlled laboratory environment, PD400 is IP66 certified with dust proof and water proof. Splash, water and dust proof functions are not permanent conditions and the effects might decrease as a result of normal wear. Liquid damage is not covered under warranty, but you might have rights under consumer law. PD400 External Hard Drive is resistant to accidental spills from common liquids, such as soda, beer, coffee, tea, and juice. In the event of a spill, wipe the affected area gently with a wet paper towel, then wipe dry the external hard drive. Learn about the splash proof, water proof and dust proof functions of the PD1000 External Hard Drive, and how to handle it if you accidentally wet the external solid state drive. PD1000 External Hard Drive is splash proof, water proof and dust proof. Under a controlled laboratory environment, PD1000 is IP68 certified with dust proof and water proof (immerse in 1 meter of water for 1 hour). Splash, water and dust proof functions are not permanent conditions and the effects might decrease as a result of normal wear. Liquid damage is not covered under warranty, but you might have rights under consumer law. PD1000 External Hard Drive is resistant to accidental spills from common liquids, such as soda, beer, coffee, tea, and juice. In the event of a spill, wipe the affected area gently with a wet paper towel, then wipe dry the external hard drive. Warranty content: If liquid damages the device and the liquid contact indicator shows the device has been in contact with liquid, then it is not covered by the warranty. Avoid the following when using: Swimming or showering with the external hard drive. Exposing the external hard drive to pressurized high velocity water, such as when showering, water skiing, surfing, jet skiing, etc. Using the external hard drive in a sauna or steam room. Intentionally submerging the external hard drive in water. Operating the external hard drive outside the suggested temperature ranges or in extremely humid conditions. Dropping the external hard drive from too high or subjecting it to strong impacts. Disassembling the external hard drive, including removing screws. Exposing the external hard drive to acid and alkali, or highly corrosive items, such as soap, detergent, perfume, insect repellent, lotions, sunscreen, oil, adhesive remover, hair dye, etc. If accidentally dropping into the water: If accidentally dropping into the water, wipe it dry with a soft, lint-free cloth (e.g., a lens cloth). To remove excess liquid, tap it gently with the USB connector facing down. Leave it in a dry area with some airflow or place it in front of a blowing fan. Wait for 5 hours before using it. If dropping into non-liquid waters, wipe the affected area with a wet paper towel first, then follow the instructions above. Don’t dry the external hard drive using an external heat source or insert a foreign object (e.g., cotton cloth or paper towel) into the connector of the external hard drive.
Now that there is so many software for lighting control, which one should I choose? How do I use them? Currently, the four major motherboard manufacturers are leading in software integration and can control 90% of the lighting accessories on the market. Here’s the tutorial on how to use the software of four major motherboard manufacturers. 【ASUS-AURA】 If you don’t have this software yet, please download it from this link: https://www.asus.com/campaign/aura/jp/download.php This is version 1.07.79. From this version onwards you can fully control the lighting mode of the beautiful T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB memory. T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB DDR4: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/xtreem-argb-ddr4 After opening the software, the top left corner shows devices that are currently detected and can be connected by the software. The white ones are currently connected. It will turn red and disconnect the device while clicking it. The entire row on the left is a variety of lighting effects, please select your preferred lighting mode. In the middle, you can select the same color for all lighting parts, or you can set the light by each area individually. If you want the same color, select “Single Color”, if you want to set it by yourself, select “By areas”. Next, you can choose the location of the light on the motherboard or any light bead on the memory. It is completely self-customized, suitable for people who wants to create their own lighting style. In the end are Color(1), Hue(2), Saturation and Brightness(3) adjustments. These are supported by almost every lighting control software. Overall, ASUS’s lighting control software is full of functions, with a wide selection of lighting effects, and the ability to control the color of each light bead. Highly recommended for those who have ASUS motherboards ASUS Aura might be integrated into “Armoury Crate” integration software along with other ASUS motherboard related softwares in the future, which is the trend of motherboard manufacturers to meet the needs of gamers at this stage, but it is still in the transition period currently. 【MSI-MYSTIC LIGHT】 Please visit the download page of this software: https://www.msi.com/Landing/mystic-light-rgb-gaming-pc/download The first thing you will see is “DRAGON CENTER(UWP VERSION)”, which is an integrated software that combines many MSI related softwares internally. If you are using the Windows 10 operating system, you need to download this integrated software, and then download Mystic Light within this software. If you use operating system “below Windows 10” and your motherboard matches the motherboard model supported on this page, you will need to scroll down the page to find Mystic Light 3 software to control the lighting effect. Next, follow the instructions while looking at the software: After click and open DRAGON CENTER, the internal software will be downloaded first. And when you officially enter, there is a row of software to choose from on the left side of the page, please click “Mystic Light”. After entering the software, you will see the main screen which is the location to synchronize all the RGB and Mystic Light compatible accessories. Select the LED Style on the right and the whole system will run in the same lighting effect. If you want to control T-FORCE memory individually, you can select the preferred mode and set the color by switching from the link-like logo above to the “DRAM”! Individual control not only has many effects, but you can also customize the color yourself, which can be very useful and gorgeous even when the whole system cannot be synchronized! Don’t forget to click Apply in the bottom right corner whether you are synchronizing the entire system or controlling the memory individually. If you are using an MSI motherboard, get a set of T-FORCE memory and let the memory rock along with your PC! T-FORCE memory: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/products/t-force/gaming-memory/#product-box-33 【GIGABYTE-RGB FUSION 2.0】 The download location of this software is relatively simple: https://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/512/download.html Just click the Download button as shown below. After opening the software, you will see the motherboard’s lighting effect control screen. The upper left corner will automatically show the motherboard you are using. The screen is divided into three areas, first you have to choose which light you want to control in area 1, and then area 2, 3 will light up for operating. Area 2 is for selecting the effect, and area 3 is for selecting your preferred color, speed, brightness, etc. Remember to click APPLY after you finished selecting. To operate the T-FORCE memory, first, click the memory logo under the motherboard on the left side, you will see a similar UI as the motherboard control screen, except that there is no light selection. The next steps are similar as well, including the adjustment for lighting effect, color, speed, and brightness. It is recommended to set the speed at about half to avoid too much speed or too bright for your eyes. 【ASROCK- Polychrome RGB】 Please visit ASRock’s official website for software download. From Products pages, find the motherboard you are using, scroll down and click Support and then click Download. At the bottom you will see [Beta] ASRock Polychrome RGB, this is the latest version of the lighting control software. Please notice that AMD and Intel platforms have different version numbers, so be sure to download the software under the correct motherboard model! Above is a screenshot of the Download page of the Z390 motherboard, and below is a screenshot of the X570 motherboard for reference. The setup is also divided into synchronizing the entire system’s lighting effect, and setting the T-FORCE memory individually. Let’s take a look at how to synchronize the memory and motherboard: First, select the Onboard LED page, then click the DRAM logo on the bottom left. After selecting the lighting effect synchronization of the DRAM and the motherboard, you can only select Style, which is the only major limitation of this software. But ASRock has all kinds of good looking styles built in, the auto adjustment is a great feature for gamers who want to save time. If you have more ideas about your own lighting style: Before switching to control memory individually, you need to click “DRAM” above again to unselect it, and then you can switch pages in the upper left corner! Please stop asking why “Component” can’t be clicked, it’s because the synchronization is not cancelled first! After unselecting DRAM, click “Component” on the upper left to enter the page for controlling the memory individually. You can adjust the color, brightness, style, etc., and even turn off the light of the memory alone. T-FORCE XCALIBUR Phantom Gaming RGB DDR4: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/xcalibur-rgb-pg-ddr4 The functions of the lighting control software of the four motherboard manufacturers are very similar, and they are all very well integrated. You can control the motherboard, memory, SSD, keyboard, mouse and other accessories at the same time, without having to install a bunch of software to control them individually.